The ancients had a variety of contraceptive methods in the face of "sexual needs", and some even made people hear that their ears were pregnant and their eyes were miscarried! Contemporary contraception is nothing more than condoms, contraceptive pills, etc., and in that era of scarcity of materials, what did the ancients do? Don't think that they just let the "seeds" be sown in the "fields", in fact, the ancients took great pains to prevent pregnancy, and even had to risk their lives!
In ancient China, men generally did not bear the responsibility of contraception, and this heavy responsibility mainly fell on women. In order to prevent pregnancy, women have to use various methods, whether it is taking contraceptive pills, using contraceptives, or taking some extreme measures, such as acupuncture.
According to historical records, in the Western Han Dynasty, in order to win the favor of the emperor, the Zhao Feiyan sisters deliberately used musk to make "belly stickers" and pasted them on the navel for contraception. Musk is a precious spice that was only affordable to the aristocracy due to its scarce and difficult to obtain.
It is said that the use of musk can not only prevent pregnancy, but also play a role in beauty and beauty, and even lose ten pounds in a month. However, long-term use of musk may cause adverse reactions such as allergies.
In addition to topical contraceptives, oral contraceptives were also common in ancient times. There are many contraceptive prescriptions in medical works such as "The Yellow Emperor's Neijing", such as "Five Poison San" is a well-known oral contraceptive. It is made from five toxic drugs, including mercury, arsenic, etc.
Although the slightest careless dose could cause infertility or even death, at the time, many women had to risk their lives to take it.
In the Tang Dynasty, in order to protect themselves and avoid losing their "jobs" due to pregnancy, Qinglou women turned to the "Five Poisons". Although the side effects were enormous, at the time, it was already the most effective oral contraceptive. In addition, there are many home remedies circulating among the people, such as chewing two horse betel nuts a day, drinking soup made from Siwu soup and brassica seeds, etc., but their contraceptive effect is still inconclusive.
In some areas, contraceptive use is also prevalent. For example, the ancient Egyptians and Chinese discovered early on that fish swim bladders could be used as condoms. The swim bladder is flexible and elastic, and the surface is covered with a fine texture, which is a natural contraceptive material. It is said that during the Han Dynasty, court maids and concubines also often used fish maw condoms.
However, after all, the swim bladder is only animal internal organs, which has a special fishy odor and is quite inconvenient to use. In addition, due to the thin texture of the swim bladder, it can be easily broken, resulting in contraceptive failure. Long-term use of fish maw may also cause problems such as allergies.
In addition to general contraceptive methods, in ancient China, a very extreme contraceptive method was also popular - acupuncture. It is said that an experienced acupuncture master or Taoist priest can achieve contraception by stimulating specific acupuncture points on a woman's body.
During the Yongzheng period, acupoint contraception was prevalent in the court. At that time, the competition between concubines was fierce, and everyone was eager to give birth to a dragon son in order to gain the emperor's favor. In order to prevent the concubine from becoming pregnant with an unidentified child, the emperor adopted the method of acupuncture contraception.
The specific process is like this: every time after having sex with the concubines, the eunuch will ask the emperor if he "keeps the seeds". If they don't stay, they will order someone to point the concubines. Some eunuchs directly stabbed the concubines in the waist with sticks, and even more cruelly hung them upside down and washed their lower bodies with sticks soaked in potion. Although this practice was extremely harmful to the physical and mental health of the concubines, at that time, they could only swallow their anger.
Although in ancient societies the responsibility for contraception was mainly on women, there were still some methods of contraception that were directed at men. According to the Compendium of Materia Medica, "cinnabar powder" is a male contraceptive made of mercury sulfide. In addition, "Strange Tales of Liao Zhai" also records a male condom made of animal casings, filled with medicinal powder. However, these methods are crude and primitive compared to female contraception.
In modern society, contraception is no longer the preserve of women. With the advancement of people's ideas and the development of contraceptive technology, both men and women should assume the responsibility of contraception. Only when men and women are equal and share the risks and consequences of sexuality can a harmonious and satisfying relationship be built. The evolution of ancient contraceptive methods is not only the crystallization of human wisdom, but also reflects the changes in the relationship between the sexes. It reminds us that only by making continuous progress can we create a better future.